Introduction to Metals Used in Jewelry

We all are well aware that jewelry is a field where there is massive utilization of metals. These metals range from brass, copper, silver, gold and platinum. For a designer it is essential to be well versed with each and every product which is used in creating jewelry; and undoubtedly metal is one of the most important products used in it. One has to get into the detailed study of metals because it turns out to be the biggest help when the design is in the process of getting manufactured. 

In today’s post we will go through the three widely used metals:

• Gold

• Silver

• Platinum

First and foremost, what is a metal?

The word metal has been derived from the Greek word metallon/mettalum which means ‘to search for’. Metals are natural elemental chemical or mineral substances each possessing a distinctive crystalline atomic structure. In other words metals are solid lustrous materials which are characterized by their properties. These properties include their atomic weight, specific gravity, melting point and thermal and electrical conductivity. But the most elemental are:

Plastic/Fusible: metals can be fused or melted and can be worked without rupture.

Ductile: metals permit being drawn into wires.

Malleable: metals permit compression by hammering and rolling.

CLASSIFICATION OF METAL

NON FERROUS METALS

FERROUS METALS

 

NOBLE METALS	BASE METALS
Gold	Aluminum	Iron
Silver	Lead
Platinum	Tin
	Mercury
	Nickel

 

GOLD:  in the history of mankind, gold has been one of the most fascinating metals because of its rarity, non-corrosiveness and for its lustrous, unique bright yellow color. Gold is said to be virtually indestructible because it does not rust or corrode.

Gold has a melting point of 1063 degree Celsius. And its specific gravity is 19.36. Purity of gold is measured in ‘Karats’. The fineness for gold in terms of karat is expressed as being equal to 1/24 part of pure gold in an alloy. Higher the karat more is the content of pure gold. Purest form of gold is 24K which is too soft to be used for jewelry, so it’s usually alloyed with one or more metals to make it more workable. 24K is 99.9% pure gold. 18K gold is considered ideal for stones and diamond setting jewelry, since this alloy becomes very hard and therefore provides a good grip for gems and diamonds.

ALLOYS	% OF PURE GOLD	%OF OTHER METALS	MELTING POINT	SPECIFIC GRAVITY
22K	91.6	8.4	977* C	17.3
18K	75	25	882* C	15.5
14K	58.3	41.7	802* C	13.4
10K	41.6	58.4	876* C	11.6

Nowadays gold is also available in many colors. For this purpose gold is alloyed with one or more metal.

COLOR OF GOLD	COMPOSITION
White	Gold + Nickel/Palladium +Zinc +Copper
Green	Gold + Silver+ Copper+ Zinc
Rose/Pink	Gold+ Copper
Black	Gold+ Cobalt / Chromium

PINK/ROSE GOLD
Picture Courtesy: Sri Krishna Diamonds & Jewellery, Commercial Street, Bangalore

 

YELLOW GOLD

WHITE GOLD

Picture Courtesy: Sri Krishna Diamonds & Jewellery, Commercial Street, Bangalore

 

BLACK GOLD

 

Half of the world’s gold resources are in South Africa. Other major sources are in the United States of America, Brazil, Australia, Canada, China and Russia.

 

SILVER: 

Like gold, silver is also a prized metal for its beauty, usefulness and metallic bright luster. It is a medium heavy, ductile and malleable metal. On exposure to oxygen in the air, silver oxidizes and a black layer of silver oxide is formed on the surface. Silver is also a very soft metal to work with hence, it is alloyed with copper.

ALLOYS	% OF PURE SILVER	%OF OTHER METALS
Sterling silver	92.5	7.5% Copper
Britannia silver	95.8	4.2% Copper & Zinc

STERLING SILVER

 

Sterling silver is most widely used for kitchenware and cutlery. Britannia silver was introduced in Great Britain in 1697 by William III to limit the practice of melting and clipping sterling silver coinage.

One of the most important uses of silver is ‘soldering’. A solder is an intermediary non-ferrous alloy which in its molten state is able to join different or similar metals together. So, soldering can be defined as a process of joining metals with the use of solder and applying heat to the object.

There are three different kinds of solders:

TYPE	COMPOSITION
Hard solder	75% Silver + 15% Copper + 10% Zinc
Medium solder	70% Silver + 15% Copper + 15% Zinc
Easy Flow solder	65% Silver + 20% Copper + 15% Zinc

Important mining sources for silver include South America, United States of America, Australia and the former USSR. The finest silver is produced by Norway and the largest producer of Silver is Mexico.

PLATINUM:

Platinum got its name from the Spanish term Platina which means ‘little silver’. It has a grayish-white lustrous appearance and is more ductile than gold, silver and other metals. It is a dense metal and does not corrode which makes it fit for jewelry. The price for platinum is higher than gold because it is a very rare metal. Platinum is alloyed with copper and cobalt to increase its workability. In any alloy there should be at least 85% pure platinum.

PLATINUM

Picture Courtesy: Sri Krishna Diamonds & Jewellery, Commercial Street, Bangalore

Platinum experts state that 75% of the platinum in the world is produced by South Africa, 14% by Russia. The other producers are Zimbabwe, Canada and the United States of America.

 

 

To conclude, one would like to say that every metal is unique and working with it is an art in itself. So, take a plunge in these facts n figures and explore the interesting study of metals.